The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-01
NUMBER 70.
DOWN THE FLORIDA SOUTHERN.

Peaches at Hswthorne-Go Perry's Plan
| tstions-The Cow and the Gator.
| Correspondence Of tho Puldfkd Nelns
FLORIDA SOUTHERN RAILWAY,
May 81, 1887.
Hawthorne is shipping large number
of peaches nowadays, and few, which
were presented 10 your correspondent,
were very fine, and tasted like more
Grove Park will prove an interesting
place 10 those Interested i'm truck garden
ing. The vegetables here are looking
very well, and the late showers have
! given a most astonishing impetuous to
every form of vegetation. Indian corn
is just beginning TO "tassle out" and
will grow three inches per day for
couple of weeks.
This place was "A well cultivated plant
alton before the war and the ready
cleared fields possess certain advantages
which are lacking in many new towns.
In fact the plantation Of which Grove
Park is part, extends Ia and AL Joins
the plantation of Gov. Perry, South of
Rochelle. Gov. Perry's plantation. as
seen from the Florida Southern Road. IL
"A fine place. and has but few equals.
The house is almost entirely hidden by
fine old shade trees, and a glimpse of the
place while passing has the effect, as
| fellow passenger expresses IL, of max
! ing fellow wish to see more of IT,"
Two or three miles south Of Rochelle
the railroad dives into a fine hammock
country, and just north of where the
Micanopy road branches off is a chain Of
pretty little lakes, which seem 10 have
plenty of little gators therein. The
writer has passed these lakes many
times. and one young alligator in partic-
ular has become quite AN acquaintance.
In one particular spot this fellow lies
(he is about thirty inches long, and he
invariably takes "A look at the train, then
plunges in the lake and swims away
through the lily pads as a matter of
course.
A number of cows wading in the shall
low water, and one COW with n ridicu-
lously short caudal appendage, suggested
forcibly what that little gator might do
after he had got grown up. and a con-
versation with darkey explained Just
how the act was usually done: "Der
gator git right hold de cow" said he,
then she holler awful bad and start
right TO de shore. When the COW get
most 10 de shore, de gator hine feet 20
ON de ground, den he pull awful hard,
de poo COW below and holler an dat
tail break right off, den dat gator he go
down bottom of de lake an eat it,"
Guess that COW don't wade any more
in that lake. your correspondent re-
marked.
"No, sir?" said the son of Ham. dat
COW won't nebber go 10 drink no mo- In
dat lake. She will go ten mile, or she
will get dry til she be done dead, but she
done drink dar no mo-"
Evinston is quite fruit country also,
forty-seven crates of peaches piled on
the station platform for shipment on the
afternoon train told their own story.
How many crates would be there when
the train arrived, four hours later could
only be conjectured.
Mcintosh Is but two or three years old,
and is one of the prettiest places on the
road. The cabbage palmetto grows 10
perfection here, and the numerous spec
linens of it, left in the groves here, add
greatly TO the landscape effect A park
here, requires but TO he cleared OF its un-
dergrowth to stand uprivalled ms ma
tural and most effectivc place OF amuse-
ment, for picnics and other out door
gatherings.
Reddick is pleasant place 10 look
over from the car windows. The ground
is of a pronounced rolling character, and
the hills and dales look almost too North
ern for Florida town. A tramway and
saw mill, nestled among the trees nc
the bottom Of ravine, gave n pic
turesque look to this neat little town,
beyond which are several deserted or
abandoned plantations which now serve
as grazing places for many and large
herds Of cattle.
Florida may not have her plains COW
cred with countless herds, but many
herds were so large that the writer
could not count the cows therein as tho
train rushed by them.
A rapid run of several miles made
writing almost an impossibility, and the
train drew up and backed ON a siding
just outside Of Ocala. Here the north
bound train is to pass, and your cores
pondent must post his letter In Uncle
Sans mail car, for beyond this point n
letter cannot be mailed to-day In order
to reach Palatka tonight.
As your correspondent rolls southwark
he will note the scenes by the wayside
until Trabue, the most southern railway
station i'm the United States, is reached.
JAMES Il. HOBART,
Of Interlachcn, Fla.